HEARTBURST,, The Next Step

[3.10] old friends

❝But she's my sister, and I love her, no matter how long it's been.❞

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  Addicted to You played over Studio A's speakers as the troupe danced through their routine to the song, their excited faces revealed just how close Internationals was, as rehearsals had begun to step up in intensity.

  First up were Noah and Elvita, who danced side-by-side, performing turns in sync as the others cheered them on, followed by Max who then joined the two on the dance floor to perform a lifting section. In all honesty, the team had never felt as great as it did right then, and the dancers could not wait to face the challenges that were yet to be thrown at them.

  "I can't wait to prove myself and show everybody  how hard I'm gonna work," El told the camera with a giddy smile, "I'm just so excited to be a part of this team."

  As Noah and Max left the dance floor, the rest of the girls moved forward to join Elvita as they worked through the choreo, all while the boys at the sides of the room cheered them on.

  Amanda smiled hesitantly as she spoke, "I'm excited to go to Internationals. I lost my spot in the trio with Thalia and Giselle, so I need to show Kate that I deserve another chance."

  After the group sections, each dancer took to the floor to individually show off their best moves, with Eldon, West, James and Maxie obviously pulling out impressive flips and speed-ridden tricks, whilst some of the others portrayed their advanced acro and flexibility. 

  All in all, the vibe in the room as the dancers moved around together was unmatched, they finally had a full team for Internationals and despite going up to face the hardest competition they'd ever had to face, they knew they were ready for whatever was about to be thrown at them.

  The thirteen dancers continued to cheer as they formed a line and began to swing their hips, along with their arms, back and forth, laughter continued to scatter throughout the room as the music slowly dimmed, albeit not the mood of the dancers.

  "Well, now that I'm here, which one of you is leaving?" A distinct voice sliced through the jovial atmosphere with a hint of sass in its tone, pulling A-Troupe's attention towards its source as many of the dancers tried their hardest to figure out why this girl had invited herself into rehearsal.

  Whilst glances of uncertainty were thrown around the group, she continued to speak, raising her finger to point directly at Riley, "Is it you? You look like you need a holiday."

  "Wait," Maxie said to the camera as her eyes widened, "I'd know that blunt tone anywhere."

  "Ella?" The girl asked, stepping into a clearer view of the stranger.

  Ella. Maxie's best friend from back home in England. The one girl she was in constant subtle competition with growing up. The one girl she was secretly glad to see the back of when she'd slowly lost contact with her over the three years she'd been gone. Ella.

  The stranger herself took a moment to analyse the girl who supposedly knew her name until the realisation hit her, "Maxie? Oh my God, Zie!"

   She couldn't just pretend not to know her, though. Ella was too smart for that. She'd instantly see right through Maxie's 'playing dumb' act, and it'd only heighten tensions in a drama-fuelled studio. So instead, she decided to plaster on a smile and act like seeing her old best friend was the best thing to happen to her.